The human mouth is known to be brimming with germs – roughly 20 billion at any given moment. Many oral disorders, such as gum disease, dental cavities, and poor breath, are caused by these microbes. Dentists recommend brushing and flossing twice a day to avoid these problems. Though a large section of people practices good oral hygiene, the tongue is sometimes overlooked. Which itself is unexpected given that it contains millions of dead cells and bacteria that cause odors. In case you brush, floss, and rinse your teeth every day and still have terrible breath, it’s possible that you’re not cleaning your tongue properly.
In this blog, the best dentist in Scottsdale is going to discuss the importance of tongue cleaning in the wellness of your oral health. So why wait anymore? Let us delve deeper into the topic without any further delay.
What Is The Need For Tongue Cleaning?
In 85 percent of cases, the source of foul breath (or halitosis) occurs inside the mouth, and the tongue is the most common source of bad smell. Bacteria accumulate on the tongue and create hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans unless it is cleansed. These are the substances that cause a bad odor in your mouth.
Furthermore, germs on your tongue can produce white discoloration and can resurface on your teeth and gums after they’ve been cleansed. Plaque build-up and, as a result, cavities and gum disease become more likely. Keep in mind that your tongue is an important element of your body. It aids in the tasting of food, speaking, swallowing, and other functions. If you don’t clean your tongue regularly, it might become embarrassing.
What Is Most Effective – Tongue Scraping Or Tongue Brushing?
Cleaning your tongue with a brush or a scraper is the most common method. Are they, however, equally effective? Let’s have a look. You’ll notice that the surface of your tongue isn’t smooth if you feel it. The tongue features several little bumps called papillae that form fissures and elevations. Dead skin cells, food particles, and bacteria can all hide in this region.
The hard edges of a tongue scraper scrape away the upper layers of detritus. A scraper, on the other hand, is unable to reach microorganisms hiding in crevices. Even if you scrape your tongue with a scraper every day, only the bacteria’s uppermost cells are removed.
A tongue brush has soft bristles that can move between the papillae and simply press debris toward the surface, cleaning it out. This increases the effectiveness of a tongue brush in cleansing the tongue.
Keeping your mouth (more specifically tongue) is not just important to resolve the problem of bad breath. You need to realize that your oral health is directly linked to your overall health. Therefore, the unusual growth of harmful bacteria on your tongue can be the reason for the greater worry!
Consult us at Belmont Dentistry, if you have any further queries related to this topic. We also offer top-quality dental care in Scottsdale, AZ, and nearby. Hence, get the best by your side to achieve a perfect and healthy grin.